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Pre-Shabbat Jewish Literary Links

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
Every Friday My Machberet presents an array of Jewish-interest links, primarily of the literary variety.

  • It has been a big week for our team at Fig Tree Books: Abigail Pogrebin’s My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew is officially out in the world. There’s been lots of great press so far. Appearing yesterday: a super Q&A on Gretchen Rubin’s blog (with a special shoutout for Shabbat).
  • This week also brought the latest Jewish Book Carnival, which routinely features news, reviews, and interviews from the Jewish literary blogosphere. (Hosted for March by Barbara Krasner/The Whole Megillah.)
  • A timely look, 50 years later, at “Natan Alterman or Amos Oz? The Six-Day War and Israeli Literature” (by Liam Hoare for Fathom).
  • Two superb “long reads” for the weekend: Maxim D. Shrayer’s Mosaic essay on Russia’s Jews, and Sabine Heinlein’s “The Restless Ghosts of Baiersdorf”.
  • And speaking of long reads—if you’ve never read George Eliot’s Daniel Deronda (or if you want to immerse yourself in it anew), the Tikvah Fund has an online learning opportunity for you.

    • Shabbat shalom, everyone!

    Pre-Shabbat Jewish Literary Links

    by Erika Dreifus on
    2

    Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
    Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
    Every Friday My Machberet presents an array of Jewish-interest links, primarily of the literary variety.

  • Job alert: In the Twin Cities, “TC Jewfolk is seeking a highly motivated self-starter with experience in and passion for blogging, managing writers, and community journalism to be the Editor for TC Jewfolk. This role is a paid, part-time position (approximately 20-25 hours/week), with great flexibility.”
  • And in Boston, the Boston Jewish Film Festival is looking for a Festival Assistant and a Programming Assistant.
  • In the last moments of this week’s Unorthodox podcast (from Tablet magazine), Liel Leibovitz pays homage to George Eliot’s Daniel Deronda. Which inspires me to re-up this essay that I’ve written about that novel.
  • This week on Hevria: some “tough love” for artists & writers–with a Jewish twist.
  • ICYMI: Yesterday on this blog, I posted a call for applicants from the Yiddish Book Center. They’re looking for high-schoolers to attend the Great Jewish Books Summer Program (I wish this had existed back when I was in high school!).

    • Shabbat shalom.

    Words of the Week

    by Erika Dreifus on
    2

    “In an apparent softening of party tone, Corbyn’s warm-up man, the journalist Owen Jones, recently reprimanded the Left for its ingrained anti-Semitism. Welcome words, but they will remain only words so long as the Corbynite Left – and indeed the not-so Corbynite Left – refuses to acknowledge the degree to which anti-Semitism is snarled up in the before and after of Israelophobia. The Stop The War Coalition is a sort of home to Jew-haters because its hate music about Israel is so catchy. It simplifies a complex and heartbreaking conflict, it elides causes and effects, it perpetuates a fable that flatters one side and demonises another, it ignores all instances of intransigence and cruelty but one, inflaming hatred and enabling the very racism it declares itself opposed to. 

    Let’s forget whether or not anti-Semitism is the root of this. It is sufficient that it is the consequence. Face that, Corbyn, or the offence you take at any imputation of prejudice is the hollow hypocrite’s offence, and your protestations of loving peace and justice, no matter who believes them, are as ash.”

    Read the full text of author Howard Jacobson’s “Corbyn may say he’s not anti-Semitic, but associating with the people he does is its own crime” on The Independent‘s website.

    A note: I’m sorry that the final “Words of the Week” entry for 5775 is not exactly upbeat. But as a writer, I found that Jacobson’s piece took on greater urgency for me because just as I discovered it I also ran across news of a “Poets for Corbyn” project. And then, this morning, came the news from Britain that Corbyn has been elected Labour Party leader.

    Pre-Shabbat Jewish Literary Links

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
    Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
    Every Friday My Machberet presents an array of Jewish-interest links, primarily of the literary variety.

  • The latest issue of Jewish Woman magazine features an interview with my wonderful colleague, Fig Tree Books Editor-in-Chief Michelle Caplan.
  • Two great resources for learning more about Israeli literature: Beth Kissileff’s article on Israeli expat writers to watch (JTA) and a mini-collection of Israeli short stories. (via CultureBuzz Israel)
  • Speaking of literature based in Israel: The Ilanot Review at Bar-Ilan University has issued a new call for submissions on the theme of “constraint.” (NB: nonpaying publication).
  • The PJ Library in Los Angeles is looking for five part-time “Community Connectors.”
  • And, ICYMI, read Oliver Sacks’s final piece for The New Yorker—on gefilte fish.

    • This is the last pre-Shabbat post of 5775–so let me wish you all a Shabbat Shalom AND a Shanah Tovah!

    Pre-Shabbat Jewish Literary Links

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
    Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
    Every Friday My Machberet presents an array of Jewish-interest links, primarily of the literary variety.

  • Podcast I intend to listen to this weekend: Gil Roth interviewing Thane Rosenbaum for The Virtual Memories Show.
  • On the occasion of Anthony Trollope’s 200th birthday, Ann Marlowe argues that Trollope is “the most Jewish of the great English novelists.” (I *need* to read some Trollope. But where to begin?)
  • Grateful for this summary of a New York Public Library “Children’s Literary Salon” that focused on Jewish kidlit.
  • ICYMI: My latest “From My Bookshelf” post here on My Machberet spotlights Michal Lemberger’s After Abel and Other Stories.
  • Finally, Fig Tree Books, publisher of fiction on the American Jewish experience, made a big announcement this week. (Hint: It has something to do with forthcoming titles.)

    • Shabbat Shalom!